Counting
by Requiem for the Dream
Summary: Counting down from twenty, Issun realizes how close he was to the white goddess all along. And it only took a slash from Ninetails to kill her.


**IMPORTANT NOTE, READ EVERYBODY: This was originally posted on my other account, Ziro, but I decided to put it on this account instead of deleting. -sigh- There goes 33 reviews.**

**Okay, so this very angsty. My cat, Aryn, (Pronounced as 'Erin) isn't doing to well. If she dies... -sigh- This chapter has nothing to do with her. It's just that she growls and mews everytime I touch her and goes limp and is in obvious pain. She doesn't even want to move.**

**Counting**

At first I watched the seconds tick away like a tuneless metronome -- no beat to it. The timer started at sixty seconds, but I didn't start to keep track until it hit thrity. Something about keeping track of her death seemed so--so _wrong. _She continues to let out pathetic whimpers every few seconds, making me cringe at the thought of knowing I can't do anything to save her. My comrade, my companion, my _mother._ Blood pours out of a gaping wound slashed across her throat. And all I can do is watch. Sit back and watch as she slowly dies.

Twenty...

Her breathing is coming in steady gasps. With little to no effort, she lets out a faint bark. Her body is twitching involuntarily, paralyzed. A severe wound to the spinal cord was all it took to paralyze her, and then_ he_ slashed her across the throat.

Nineteen...

Ninetails. That damned d-dog! And then, as fast as his element -- lightning -- he left the arena. Left my companion to slowly bleed to death. Blood pools around her, soaking her fur a scarlet color and making a pond around me. I race up to the goddess and bury my face into her soaked neck fur and let out a muffled scream; I don't even think she heard me.

Eighteen...

Blood is soaking straight through my clothing, sticking to my body and forming clots. I can hear the wolf let out a soft rasp, her voice just barely above a whisper. It seems as if she trying to cry, trying to let the land of Nippon know that she failed them. I slowly entwine my small hand around a few strands of her fur and start to mumble words of encouragement to her

Seventeen...

I can't help but repeat numbers in my head. My gaze shifts back over to Amaterasu; I can't even stand to call her by the nickname I gave her: Ammy. The thought of knowing I can't save her is maddening. Why did I have to be born a Poncle? Why couldn't I be born a large and powerful tiger, or a wolf? Maybe even being a wolf or a tiger wouldn't have been enough to save her.

Sixteen...

"Don't leave me! Ammy, don't!" I cry out in vain. I look up when I hear a loud voice filled with laughter. Slowly bringing my gaze up to a large cliff, a large, cream-furred kitsune stands out against the rays of the sun, a proud and smug look plastered across his face. If I could slash it off of his muzzle, I would do it without a second though.

Fifteen...

"You know, I _could _just spare your little companion the pain and suffering of having her throat slit and just kill her right now, but this too fun to watch!" he cries out happily and falls over onto his side, laughing. My brown eyes widen and start to shine with determination; there's no way I could let him get away with brutally murdering my comrade -- no, friend -- and then laughing about it like it was a _trophy._

Fourteen...

"She put up quiet a fight, you know," he snarled and leaped off of the cliff. His orange fur that pokes out beneath his stiff, strong guard hairs blazes in the sun like an ember. "Gave me a little scratch along my flank." Nodding towards his right hindleg, I see a small cut that looks like a kitten gave it to him.

Thirteen...

The seconds are ticking by, but it seems like hours.

Twelve...

I can't help but glare daggers, swords, shruikens, katanas -- any weapon that has a sharp edge -- at the nine-tailed beast. His crimson eyes shine brightly, and I could easily see that he was a demon. Amaterasu's breathing is starting to come in shallow gasps. She coughs up a large, black, dark clot of blood onto the ground. I can feel the heat radiating off of it, making me shiver.

Eleven...

"Such a shame she had to go this way..." His voice his filled with a sadistic edge, the outer edge of it coated with laughter and happiness. Curse me for being so small and feeble! If I was larger, I would have chopped his head off where he stood.

Ten...

_No, just go away! _I shout at Ninetails pitifully in my head.

Nine...

Tears start to well up in my almond-colored eyes. I don't even try to fight them back; it would be no use.

Eight...

Ninetails let out a loud, large, booming snarl and leaped at my friend. With a paw raised up high in the air, he striked her across the face.

Seven...

Six...

Five...

Four...

I can't even bare to look at her for four seconds. When I opened one of my eyes, she looks to be at... ease?

Three...

I understand now.

Two...

She just wanted happiness in her life.

One...

She is at peace, now. Roaming across the skies with her Celestial friends and her family, the sky and heavens above are her hunting grounds. And even though I don't notice Ninetails race away from her broken and bloodied body, I feel a slight feeling of joy to know that my friend is happy once again, racing through the clouds with a calm, serene look across her face.

And now, she can live, and I can stop counting now.

**Aryn, pull through. We saved you when you were on the brink of death at a week old because you were abandoned by some careless asshole, and I'm not going to let you die like this.**


End file.
